Where would you live in NoVA if job is Union Station?

[DistrictSonic]

Originally Posted by K.Sumers

Rent in DC.

For what they want they wouldn't be able to afford DC.

Likewise downtown Silver Spring is not sketchy, but they would not be able to afford it considering their budget. I don't think they know how expensive the area is. I love the false impressions of some people, especially not knowing the area.

That's the thing they want a townhome or house within 30-40 minutes from union station for $2k or under in rent. It is simply not going to happen unless they live in PG county or east of the river DC.

There is something called unrealistic expectations, they have it. They either move further out, or into an area which is less than great. The nicer areas are way out of their budget in many cases.

You have proximity, good schools, safety, and low cost. At best you get to choose two in many cases. If cost is not an issue, you get proximity, good schools, and safety. The OP on the other hand sounds budget constrained but wants all four. It's just not happening.

[Duffy21]

Burke has the Park and Ride too if you want to use that. I grew up there and its a pretty good area to live in.

[OutOfPlaceInDC]

I live near the king street metro station and worked at the "NoMa" (NY Ave) metro station for quite some time. I originally took the metro, but began driving when I realized that the morning commute was a bit shorter, while the afternoon commute was a bit longer. Overall, they evened out and I wasn't beholden to the ever worsening WMATA experiment.

My morning commute: Get on Prince Street in Old Town, head east towards the river until I intercept Route 1. Turn north on Route 1 and take it to Slater's lane. Slater's lane to GW Parkway. GW Parkway to 395. 395 to the end (NY Ave), then a side street (can't remember) to the NoMa area. If I left by 7AM, I could do it in 22-26 minutes depending on which lights I hit.

Afternoon commute: basically the same in reverse until I got to Route 1. At that point, I'd gauge the number of crazed marylanders attempting to flee through my city and bail onto one of the side streets if necessary.

One of the things that helped: Many of the routes through the grid of Old Town have synchronized lights, with special attention on the Route 1 corridors.

[Deeman804]

Originally Posted by musman

I shall be starting soon at my new job at Union Station. I have considered Lorton but commute(~70 min'ish) is too damn long?
My budget allows me to spend 2k for 2-3 bed townhouse. What other areas I should look into to have commute under 30-40mins?
Family oriented and safety is my primary need.

If you like Lorton move there. There is a VRE station with free parking. The train ride is only 35-40 minutes to Union Station. Definitely not 70 minutes.

[HDTBill]

Burke is good but make sure you understand the limited VRE train schedule. Many places in Burke you can walk to VRE. Also Burke has close access to the slugging points (car pool HOV system).